Eight former American diplomats in Romania warn that potential concessions to Putin could encourage further aggression and expand the war

Eight former US ambassadors to Romania and other diplomats warn that the West risks repeating the mistakes of the policy of appeasement toward Hitler if it tries to achieve peace in Ukraine through concessions granted to Vladimir Putin. The joint position was published by Israel Hayom on November 14.

The diplomats argue that accepting the Kremlin's demands would not stop the Russian leader's territorial ambitions, but could encourage him to continue his aggression. They call for Putin to be judged by his actions, not by his statements about peace or the personal impressions of certain Western officials.

Their argument is based on the history of Russian-Ukrainian relations. In 1994, Ukraine gave up the nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union in exchange for security guarantees under the Budapest Memorandum. Russia pledged to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and borders, but annexed Crimea in 2014 and supported separatists in Donbas. On February 24, 2022, Moscow launched the full-scale invasion.

The former diplomats criticize the easing of sanctions and pressure on Kyiv to make territorial concessions. They warn that such an agreement could temporarily stop the fighting without providing guarantees against further aggression.

The signatories also say that the suffering of civilians must not be used as a bargaining chip, and that sovereignty, territorial integrity, and consequences for aggression must remain essential principles of the negotiations.